Q.8 Categorise the materials of the following products into ‘can be recycled’ and ‘cannot be recycled’.
Telephone instruments, plastic toys, cooker handles, carry bags, ball point pens, plastic bowls, plastic covering on electrical wires, plastic chairs, electrical switches.

Can be recycled:-
Plastic chairs, plastic bowls, plastic toys, plastic covering on electrical wires, carry bags, ball point pens

Cannot be recycled:-
Cooker handles, electrical switches, telephone instruments

EXPLANATION:-

Plastic chairs, plastic bowls, plastic toys, plastic covering on electrical wires, carry bags and ball point pens, are all categorized into thermoplastic which can be recycled even after molding. As we know that plastic is non-biodegradable so their disposal would cause plastic contamination of soil, water and air. Plastic disposal in water can clog the waterways and is thus harmful for aquatic life. Plastic disposal in soil can cause harm to soil organisms resulting in soil pollution and plastic burning contaminates the air constituents thus causing air pollution. Hence the only option to avoid plastic contamination is recycling of plastic materials.

Cooker handles, electrical switches, telephone instruments are all categorized into thermosetting plastic which cannot be recycled once molded into a particular shape. Cooker handles, electrical switches, telephone instruments are made up of bakelite (thermosetting plastic) which is a very hard and tough plastic.